David Mace of Palm Beach, Florida Accused of Sexually Battering a Minor

David Mace of Palm Beach, Florida was booked into Hillsborough County Jail this past Sunday for allegedly molesting a 7-year-old girl in 2012. He has been moved to Palm Beach County Jail, where he is being held without bond. News reports did not specify a lawyer for Mace.

According to police reports, Mace, 37, was first found in February 2014 at a floral wholesaler on 360 South Congress Avenue, where he worked as a florist. Detectives searching for his SUV allegedly found a large garbage bag containing a girl’s bathing suit, small stuffed animals, and a black and white referee’s uniform.

When questioned about the items after his arrest, Mace allegedly said that the stuffed toys were for a children’s fundraiser, the referee uniform was for his coaching job at Lynn University, and the bathing suit was his daughter’s.

News reports state that a Lynn University representative denied Mace’s employment as a coach. The representative said Mace only worked at university basketball games as a contract worker.

Detectives also checked Mace’s room at The Pershing Suites, where he purportedly rented a room on a weekly basis. The property manager of the motel allegedly gave detectives a laptop Mace had left behind.

After acquiring a search warrant, the detectives allegedly found 51 pictures and 48 videos of what appeared to be child pornography in the laptop. In addition to the alleged sexual battery charge, Mace now faces 99 counts of possession of child pornography.

According to the National Children’s Alliance, many of the victims of child abuse in Florida are female. Out of 19,379 incidents of abuse that occurred in 2012, 2,441 were committed by someone the victim did not know.